Big Reds Baseball: Double the fun

Photos by Balinda Zimmerman
Chase Riling almost goes backward as he catches a foul ball against Belleville.

Austin Beck dives for the base as second baseman drops the ball.

By Balinda Zimmerman

The varsity baseball team has struggled through the season thus far after losing a number of seniors last year. They have had more losses than they have wins but things are looking up as they settle into the season and get comfortable. The Milan Softball Big Red Clash tournament was in full swing as the Big Red baseball team played Belleville in a doubleheader across the fields on April 22, 2017. The Big Reds came up with two wins that day with a 3-2 win in the opening game and 5-3 in the final game. The first game against Belleville saw some good plays but by the end of the game the Big Reds were getting some errors that nearly cost them the game. Coach Gilles was said to have been more than a little upset with the boys for their lack of concentration. The second game took a better turn for the Big Reds as they capitalized on the errors made by Belleville this time. Tyler Hall grabbed the first run as Gage Feeman sacrificed for the team and bunted to gain the run by Hall. A little over halfway through the game Jaden Riling hit a single followed by Jared Gruebke with a single, followed by Chase Riling who grabbed a double and an RBI as his brother crossed home plate. Belleville had been in the lead with 3-1 when Jared Riling took to bat but Riling evened up the score. Next up was Justin Beck who had been struggling with connecting with the ball but this time he gained a double on a line drive to left field and an RBI as Gruebke crossed home plate. The score was at 4-3 with Milan leading when Riley Burgeron came to bat and hit a foul. Beck took a huge risk stealing for third base just as Chase Riling crossed home plate. Beck was a split second late on the take off and ended up playing the back and forth game between second and third which had Gilles yelling and the fans gasping. The turning moment in the game may have already happened but Beck had the crowd on their feet with his high risk maneuver that turned out to be the play of the game. Beck turned for his last opportunity to be safe after two back and forth runs. He dove for second base just as the ball hit the glove and just as quickly the ball hit the ground and Beck hit the base. No further scores were posted so it didn’t make any difference in the score but it sure gave the fans a little excitement in the game.

Balinda Zimmerman is a certified mediator, owner/operator at Milan Memories by Minna, and freelance writer for the Milan Eagle News. Balinda can be reached at balindaz [at] comcast [dot] net